[1] In June 1944 the Minister of Fuel and Power appointed a committee of inquiry under the chairmanship of Geoffrey Heyworth to review the structure and organisation of the industry and advise on changes to develop and cheapen gas supplies.
[2] The committee reported in November 1945 and recommended the compulsory purchase by the government of all undertakings and the creation of ten regional gas boards.
[1] The British Commercial Gas Association was founded in 1912 and served as the publicity agency for the industry.
The British Gas Federation was established in 1934 to represent collective interests of the council and association.
[1] In 1943 the industry proposed the establishment of the British Gas Council amalgamating the two existing bodies.
It was chaired by Sir Edgar Sylvester (later chairman of the Gas Council) and its aim was to oppose nationalisation.
[5] Ministerial oversight of the gas industry prior to nationalisation was exercised by the Board of Trade until 1942, then the Ministry of Fuel and Power (1942 – 1949).
[9] Provisions were made for each area board to have a gas consultative council and district committees.
[5] To achieve the Gas Council's aims and statutory obligations it undertook a range of activities.
Firstly, from the late 1950s, a shift way from conventional carbonising plant for the production of town gas to chemical reforming using light feedstocks from oil refineries.
[11] The first transnational shipment of liquefied natural gas took place left the USA on 25 January 1959, arriving at a new LNG terminal on Canvey Island 27 days later.
[6] The new powers allowed it to enter joint ventures with Amoco on parts of the Leman and Indefatigable gas fields.
[1] The Gas Advisory Council was established in 1965 to allow workers and management and trade unions to discuss national objectives.
As well as Marketing there were divisions for Economic Planning, Production and Supply; Research and Development and Personnel, whose directors were on the board.
[16] The Gas Council published a range of material to meet statutory obligations and to inform commercial and domestic consumers.
These included: In 1969 the government recognised that to fully exploit the benefits of North Sea Gas a radical reorganisation of the industry was needed with increased power to the centre.